Download the free app

Get the Curiosity Smart Tab

Earth's Spin Is Slowing Down

Share

Share

Excited for the August 21 eclipse? Visit our Eclipse 2017 page to explore the science, history, and myths of the event. The Curiosity team will be viewing the eclipse alongside NASA in Carbondale, Illinois. Follow us on Facebook for live videos, trivia, and interviews on the big day.

As the moon's gravity causes the tides to rise and fall, the motion drains energy from Earth's rotation, slowing it down. And if one rotation equals one day, then the days are slowly but surely getting longer. In 100 years, one day will be about two milliseconds longer than it is now. In billions of years, when the Earth spins at the same rate as the moon orbits it, one day will be equal to about 27 current days.